Empathy
by chocolateninja
Summary: Something's amiss in Titans Tower... VERY amiss.
1. Introduction

_I have always been alone._

_Okay, not exactly alone. Unfortunately, it is nigh-impossible in this day and age to be alone, even if you consciously try. Take myself, for example. I am part of a group of superheroes, known as the Teen Titans. They are the most dependent, immature, frustrating people I have ever met. And ironically… they are the closest friends and allies I have._

_I have a rather bad habit of finding the flaws in the characters of others… Robin, for instance. He's a control freak who always needs everything to be exactly as ordered. He seems to be attempting to banish all chaos and anarchy from his life, which is not quite healthy… I have ventured into his room, once or twice. Perfectly stacked books and equipment, organized in alphabetical order. I shudder to think of it. When will he realize that permanence and order are illusions? When will he learn to live the one, precious life that he is granted?_

_And then there is Starfire. Have you ever met a cheerful, optimistic person who almost NEVER seems depressed or angry? She happens to be one of them. She never stops smiling, or giggling, or being generally happy. And frankly, when one is that cheerful, there HAS to be something wrong. I mean it. Optimism should not be a natural emotion, after living on this Earth of suffering and agony for a while. Moreover, it appears that she has fallen victim to the most treacherous of all emotions: love. I don't believe that she realizes it yet. I keep restraining the urge to tell her that the aura of love she feels for Robin breaks my meditation._

_That brings us to Cyborg (I sincerely hope that his birth name was not "Cyborg"). Always whining and complaining about how his machine parts aren't good enough, or how his human parts aren't good enough. I'm okay with a small amount of self-loathing (keeps people humble), but Cyborg's case is too much for me to handle, at times. He needs to learn to live with himself, for who he is! He's good enough to do anything, if he just BELIEVES in himself, for once. Of course, being the "cold, distant, frightening" member of our group, it would be quite uncharacteristic of me to tell him so._

_I've saved Beast Boy for last… A sad case, to say the least. Always making jokes that are far from amusing, as if forced to do so. It is almost as if he's frightened that, if everyone were to see behind the mask, they would no longer care for him. Sometimes I wonder what the hell made him think that. I mean, most of us can see him for who he is, anyways! Well, maybe not Robin, who's too absorbed with defeating Slade. Or Starfire, who's too oblivious. Or Cyborg, who's too absorbed in self-pity. Okay, so I'm the only one who can see his true self. Behind the mask, he's a genuinely sweet, empathetic person._

_The frustrating part of knowing the faults of others is that, though you know what they need in order to correct their faults, you can never tell them, at risk of endangering "the friendship". Robin needs a few dates with Starfire to correct that "uptight" issue. Starfire needs Robin so that she can finally spill god-knows-what traumatic experience that forced her to hide it behind forced happiness. Cyborg needs someone (I don't know who) who'll raise his ego a bit. And Beast Boy needs someone to tell him that he's a sweet, empathetic person._

_They all need others to depend on, to see past their faults. All of them, except myself._

_They don't see it, really. There's a reason why I keep quiet. I can see things in them that they themselves can't. And if I were to tell them… I mean, Robin is the type who would take offense if someone were to ever tell him how flawed he is. And Starfire would just pat me on the head and say that I need cheering up. Cyborg would just shrug and say, "I'll keep that in mind," and go back to working on his machinery. And Beast Boy…_

_…frankly, his reaction is the one I fear the most. He would open up to me. Get emotionally attached. Believe himself to be in love with me. And I don't think I want to do that to him… so, in the long run, he'd be better off thinking that I hate him._

_Which I don't. I give a damn what happens to these people. I wish I could help them, frankly. But I cannot help them, if they refuse to help themselves. Such is the burden of being an empath…_

"Hey, Raven!" Raven looked up from her writing, which was in rather tidy, small cursive.

Beast Boy stood almost directly over her shoulder, a silly, good-natured grin on his face. "Whatcha writing? Is it something about me? Hey, maybe you're writing to a secret admirer…" Beast Boy spoke in his childish way, still attempting to glimpse over Raven's cloaked shoulder.

"It's nothing," said Raven, in her quiet, restrained way. She deftly pulled the paper from the table, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash can. "At any rate, it's probably dinner time. And Starfire's probably cooked up some more 'glorg'." She began to walk out of the living room, and towards the kitchen.

Beast Boy was undeterred. He followed directly behind Raven, waving his arms cheerfully. "Ooo. That WAS to some secret admirer, wasn't it? Raven has a cruuuush, Raven has a cruuuush…" The purple-haired girl closed her eyes, pretending to ignore the green-skinned changeling... just as she had always kept silent and pretended to ignore everyone…

_I will always be alone…_


	2. Surprise

Hey, everyone! First I'd like to say, thanks for the comments. Second, I'd like to say that, as much as I'd like to sample Tameranian cuisine, I do not own the Teen Titans. Lastly… enjoy the show. -bows-

Chapter 2: Surprise 

_Something's up,_ thought Raven perceptively, walking with the talkative, babbling Beast Boy in tow, towards the kitchen. _It's too quiet…_ She refrained from saying anything to her green-skinned companion, however, until they got to the kitchen doorway.

Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin were there, all with various expressions of happiness on their faces. Raven looked confusedly from Starfire's delighted grin, to Cyborg's slight smile, to Robin's confident one, and back again to Beast Boy's silly grin. "Okay," she said, allowing a slight tone of annoyance to permeate her normally level voice. "Can one of you please tell me what in the nine circles of hell is going on?"

Starfire piped up. "I have heard that it is customary to bake a cake on such a wondrous occasion as this!" She pulled out a somewhat-burnt cake with sixteen lit candles on it, smiling brightly.

"And to bring gifts," said Cyborg, holding up a wrapped present.

"Ooo, I can't take the suspense anymore," said Beast Boy, sheepishly. He turned to Raven, arms up. "Happy b-day, Rae!" Starfire immediately bolted up to Raven and hugged her.

Raven suppressed her shock behind her usual poker-face. "Whatever makes you think that it's my birthday?" she queried, keeping her voice steady.

"It's on the Teen Titans calendar," replied Robin, with sure confidence. He patted Raven on the shoulder. "Congratulations for sticking with our team for so long."

"It is customary where I come from for Tameranian princesses to dance with a male, upon turning sixteen!" Starfire broke in, holding up her index finger. "However… I believe that we may forgo this custom, if so wished!" she hurriedly added, noting Raven's expression.

Beast Boy jumped onto the table, whipping a microphone out from seemingly nowhere. "Enough talking, guys!" he said, beaming. Always the showman. "Let's sing Raven the good ol' Happy Birthday song!"

Raven pretended to be pleased with the cacophony of Beast Boy's too-loud singing, combined with Starfire's confusing screeches in Tameranian. "Right," she said tonelessly, arms crossed. "Happy birthday to me, I guess. I think…I'm going to go upstairs and meditate."

"Oooo no you don't!" said Cyborg, hoisting her onto a chair. "First you've got to open all of our presents!"

Raven did not quite feel up to protesting. _Damn those birthday presents. Damn their happy faces, so easily disappointed…_ She sat down, bracing herself for the barrage of presents when…

A loud, familiar, beeping noise was heard.

Robin immediately looked at his Titans badge. "Titans! Trouble!" He darted towards the doorway, motioning for the others to follow.

He turned apologetically to Raven. "Sorry," he said genuinely, a slight frown on his masked face. "We'll continue this later." Raven nodded. She was actually relieved, frankly. She knew that Robin had probably given her some Titans' merchandise, Starfire a makeup kit, Cyborg a piece of machinery, and Beast Boy a rubber chicken. _There is no such thing as surprises when you're able to read people like a book._

Turning away from the kitchen, all the Titans ran to their separate rooms to gather their equipment.

_"Heh heh heh," laughed the dark, cloaked figure, sitting in the security room, snapping his fingers. "I have the Titans EXACTLY where I want them…"_

_It was the perfect plan, really. He'd forcefully break into Titans Tower, setting off the alarm. They would then separate… thus making each of them vulnerable…_

_…and, when he was done with them… he, the Great Depression, would be able to freely reign over all._


	3. Something Amiss

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Teen Titans. If I did, I would most likely steal Robin's cape and sell it on eBay, for a good amount of cash. Or maybe wear it as a fashion statement. :D Anyways. Enjoy.

-Chapter 3: Something Amiss-

It never took Raven very long to get ready for crimefighting. She did not have a staff to find, or a power core to charge up. All she truly needed was about five minutes of nice, quiet meditation, and she would be good.

She sat in midair, back perfectly straight, shoulders broad. After a while, meditation had become completely routine… just like the inevitability of eating Beast Boy's tofu foodstuffs, or being forced to train by Robin every Saturday morning, or being subjected to the wonders of Tameranian culture, or being lectured on the intricacies of mechanics and technology.

She was even able to ponder her birthday. _Sixteen years old…_ she hadn't even noticed, really. Time went by either too fast, or too slow, it seemed. How long ago had she joined the Titans? She could scarcely remember what life was like before she had met Beast Boy, Star, Cyborg, and Robin. _Not very pleasant,_ she remembered. _But still, more like a distant dream than a concrete reality, nowadays._

She remembered how crushed Beast Boy had been by Terra's betrayal. It seemed like only yesterday. She, herself, had felt absolutely betrayed, when it came out… she had actually, even if only for a split-second, trusted Terra. Such an incident as what happened with Terra only increased Raven's distrust of outsiders.

Having ruminated on such topics enough, Raven's mind was now cleared. Exhaling, she tentatively touched the floor with one foot, then the other. "Azerath Metrion Zinthos," she muttered. Without touching anything, she exited the room and shut the door behind her.

…something still didn't seem right today. At first, she had thought it was the silence… but now she sensed it to be something more. A lurking presence, perhaps.

She shook her head, looking around. Robin and the others would most likely call her "paranoid" for sensing such insignificant things. The presence wasn't THAT strong… she headed towards the living room. The usual Titan regrouping spot.

To her surprise, no one else was there. Usually, at least Starfire and Beast Boy would be there, by then… Raven grabbed a purplish-blue book from the coffee table, and began to read. It was her usual type of book: namely, one about murder, controversy, and philosophical quandaries. She could not keep her concentration on the book for long, though, and eventually set it aside.

The whole situation was really beginning to worry her. It wasn't like anyone on the team to be fifteen minutes late. _Something MUST be amiss. _With that thought in mind, Raven headed towards Robin's room.

The door was half-open, and the purple-haired girl easily slid into the room. Robin was sitting on the floor, staring at what appeared to be a photo album. "Robin?" she said tentatively, in a tone only slightly raised from the usual level.

The masked boy wonder made no response. Very concerned at that point, Raven leaned forward to see, specifically, what pictures Robin was staring at so intently.

The first photograph was of Robin and Batman. It was a bit tattered and dusty, but otherwise intact. Batman, rather than smiling, was frowning stoically up into the camera lens. The young Robin appeared to be mimicking Batman's gesture, with only partial success.

The second photograph was a bit more recent. In the photo, Robin and Starfire brandished ice cream cones at the camera, laughing. Unlike in the first photograph, Robin appeared to be genuinely at ease, this time. Raven could literally feel the pure, untainted joy and love radiating from the photograph.

"I'm not worthy…" Raven was slightly startled by Robin's sudden words, which seemed to come right out of the blue. "What do you mean?" she said, confused. "Not worthy of what?"

Robin pointed at the Batman and Starfire from the photographs. "I'll never be as good as Batman… I'll never be good enough to deserve Starfire… I'm never going to be competent enough to beat Slade… and I don't deserve the friendship that I get." He sighed, turning away. "…you can leave if you want, Raven. I don't deserve to be comforted."

Raven opened and closed her mouth several times, hardly able to speak a single syllable. "Robin…" She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

She stood behind Robin for a few minutes, not quite sure of what to do. She had never been in a situation like this before. She needed someone else's help… maybe Starfire could help… "I'll be right back, Robin. Okay?" She ran out of the room, towards Starfire's room. _If Starfire can't comfort Robin, then no one can._


End file.
